Talk to Each Other
by HowAboutThat
Summary: The boys need to talk and Ma's gonna make that happen. (Rated T juuuuuust in case


HAT: At first I was gonna have it be the twins singing this, but then I thought "why not rip out their hearts in a completely unexpected way?" And thus this was born.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything aside from the plot.**

* * *

 _Why don't you talk to each other?_

* * *

It'd been four years since her son had been thrown out of the house. She hasn't had contact with him in a year and she's just as worried as she was when he was first thrown out.

When the phone rings she figures it's another customer and so she picks it up going through the routine only for it to be broken by her son's voice.

" _Hey, Ma._ "

"Stanley?" She asks in disbelief.

" _Yeah,_ " Stanley replies, sounding like he's shying away from the phone.

"Boy, you ain't called me in a year! Why didn't you send a letter or something?!" Cassandra demands, her well-known hot temper flaring.

" _I'm sorry, Ma, I would've if I could've,_ " he replies.

Cassandra sighs, rubbing her forehead and trying to let the relief settle in. "I'm just… where are you, hun?"

"I'm in Pennsylvania," he answers.

 _Not too far,_ she thinks with a sigh. "Hunny?"

She can hear the quiet sigh at her sweet tone. "Yes, Ma?"

"Could you come down soon?"

"Ma, you know why I can't," Stanley says.

"Alright, how about I visit you?" She says, brain already whirling with ideas and thoughts- she's a con artist after all.

There's a long silence before he says, "Alright, Ma. When're you comin' down?"

She glances at the calendar. "Hmmm… about two weeks roughly."

" _Alright. Oh, here's my address…_ "

"Thank you, sweetie. I'll see you soon," she says. "Love you."

" _Love you, too, Ma._ "

* * *

 _Why don't you talk to each other? Just give it a try._

* * *

" _Hello, this is Stanford Pines,_ " Stanford answers.

"Hey, hun," Cassandra says with a small smile.

" _Oh, hi Ma!_ " She can practically see him perking up from how happy he sounds hearing her voice.

"Hey, hunny, I'll be visiting Gramma by the time you come around for break, so just head there, alright?"

" _Oh, alright. Is that all?_ "

"Yes, hunny. Go back to studying for your finals," she replies.

" _Alright, thanks, Ma. Love you._ "

"Love you, too, sweetie."

* * *

 _Why don't you talk about what happened?_

* * *

Cassandra undoes the half bun and lets her hair hand loose. There's some silver hairs that weren't in there four years ago. She's aged a bit- worry tends to speed up the aging process.

With a sigh she pushes her long hair back so that it won't get into her eyes and mentally goes over a plan.

She can't take Shermy with her because he'll still be in school and that would leave Filbrick in charge of him and while she knows the man's capable of the basics (transportation, getting the boy to bed, playdates and the like), the man can't cook worth a damn. She tried so hard to teach the man and he somehow managed to set every chicken they prepared on fire (not as bad as Stanford who somehow made soup catch on fire once). Her husband and her eldest son were lost causes.

Shermy can cook, but only with her supervision so she'll have to make something to last until she gets back. At least the boy can make sandwiches pretty well for lunch.

 _This is gonna be a pain._

* * *

After everything was set up, she went to Pennsylvania and stayed with her mother for the time being.

The day Stanford gets there she calls Stanley and tells him that she's in town and that she'll come over before quickly hanging up and going out to greet her boy.

"Hey, Ma," Stanford says while hugging her.

"Hi, baby," she says with a fond smile and hugs him back. "We're headin' out."

"What? I just got here," he insists.

"I'll be here when you get back," Gramma Johnson assures. "Go help your Mama."

"Yes, ma'am," Stanford says while kissing his grandmother's cheek.

"Shoo, shoo, the botha youse."

"We're stopping here, there's an old friend that lives there that I want to see," Cassandra says while handing her son the address.

When they reach the building, Stanford opens Cassandra's door and she holds her son's hand and doesn't let go, something she hasn't done since the day he graduated high school.

He squeezes her hand, confused but supportive. He doesn't know what terms she and her friend parted.

She rings the doorbell and her hand squeezes Stanford's almost painfully tight as the door opens.

And for the first time in four years her twin boys were face to face.

* * *

 _I know you're trying to avoid it, but I don't know why._

* * *

"Stanford, please stay," Cassandra begs as he starts to walk away, hugging his arm and hand, trying to hold him in place.

She hasn't physically been able to restrain her boys since they were thirteen or fourteen and even then it was a bit of a struggle.

"Ma, you tricked me and I don't wanna see him," Stanford says, gesturing to a sad, but angry Stanley.

"Ford, please," she says quietly. "You might not believe it, but you've got a lot in common, you really do."

"Like what?"

"… you both love me and I love both of you," she says barely above a whisper.

The Stans' eyes meet above their mother who is hugging Stanford's arm and not looking at either of them.

Stanford sighs and hugs Cassandra. "Alright… We'll talk."

* * *

 _I know you both need it._

* * *

"Look, if I were you, I'd hate me too," Stanley sighs, rubbing his arm after closing the door so he and Stanford can have some privacy.

"I don't hate you," Stanford insists.

"But I knew how you felt about that school and I broke your project."

"That wasn't the problem."

"Then what was?" Stanley asks.

Stanford's quiet for a long time before he says, "You never talked to me…"

Stanley chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his neck, "Well, you know me…"

"Yeah, I do…" Stanford says with a sigh and a tired smile

" _I know you both need it. Someone who knows what you're going through,_ " she had said before they had gone in the room to talk.

It's hard going through life without one's best friend at their side.

"I'm sorry I never talked to you… I just… I dunno…"

"Guess we both have problems talking everything out."

Stanley smiles at his brother and then holds out a hand. "Can we… can we try t' get along? If not for each other, than at least for Ma?"

Stanford stares at the hand for a long moment before grabbing it and pulling him over to give him a hug. "Yeah…"

* * *

 _You might not believe it. You might not believe it, but you've got a lot in common, you really do._

* * *

Cassandra looks up at her boys as they exit the room and smiles hopefully seeing them smiling.

"It's alright, Ma," Stanley promises with a smile and hugs her in one of his bear hugs.

She tears up and hugs her son back. "Thank you…" She pulls Stanford over and hugs him as well. "Both of you."

* * *

 _You both love me and I love both of you._

* * *

The two hug their mother and each other, saying, "Love you, Ma."

"Love youse, too," she replies and then kisses each of their cheeks.

And for the first time in what feels like an eternity she has her boys in her arms.

* * *

 _You both love ma and I love both of you…_


End file.
